I covered Madonna and Cyndi Lauper, and now you can add Annie Lennox to the list of remarkable women who helped define pop music in 1983. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) was not Eurythmics’ debut album (it was their second), but it was the one that catapulted them into popularity.

The duo (Dave Stewart and Lennox) had a string of successful albums through the 80s before going on hiatus in 1989. They recorded a final album in 1999.

The title track of Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) remains the band’s defining song, but the whole album is a great listen. I don’t really remember second single ‘Love is a Stranger’ (today’s SOTD), but it’s a sultry blast. None of the other tracks (save Sam & Dave cover ‘Wrap It Up’) are very familiar, but they all deliver a winning synth-pop groove.

Multi-instrumentalist Stewart was responsible for much of the band’s sound, but their appeal was all about Lennox. With her super short orange hair and men’s suits, she was both androgynous and super sexy.

What a year 1983 was for gay icons. You have Madonna, Boy George, Cyndi Lauper and Lennox all climbing the charts at the same time, with Michael Stipe just entering the scene. It’s easy to look back 30+ years and bemoan the lack of wokeness, but pop culture had its share of progressive role models.